Convenience cabinet unit



Filed Aug. 23, 1962 Big. 3@

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United States Patent O 3,162,496 CONVENEENCE CABINET UNIT Ruth M. Morgan, 3025 N. Meridian St., Apt. 106, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor of one-half to Agnes Wagoner, Indianapolis, lnd.

Filed Aug. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 218950 3 Claims. (Cl. 312-228) This invention relates generally to cabinets and more particularly to a unit incorporating means for storage of Supplies and tools or instrumente, for disposition of used materials or refuse, and for disposition of liquids.

There are many instances where an existing building or rooms therein are converted to a new use such as, for example, the Conversion of a house to a laboratory building or adaptation of a room in a house to a beauty parlor or dental ofiice.

Usually such Conversion cannot be made without extensive planning and not without considerable extra eifort and time on the part of plumbers and carpenters to install suitable carpentry and plumbing facilities.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a convenience cabinet unit which can be readily furnished complete for easy installation in a building.

A further object is to provide a unit suitable for storage of materials and instruments or tools and also to accommodate disposal of solid and liquid waste materials.

A further object is to provide a unit for accomplishing the foregoing objects and having a neat appearance and compact durable Construction.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

FIG. 1 is a frontal perspective view of a typical embodiment of the present invention.

FIG 2 is a vertical section through the unit taken on the plane as indicated by lines 2-2 of FIG. 1, and illustratng the relationship of the hasin hopper and refuse container.

FIG, 3 is a vertical section through a novel drawer of the present invention taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. l.

Referring to the drawings, the unit 11 includes a top 12 having an opening 13 therein through which the hasin or sink 14 is accessible. A drain pipe 16 from the basin extends to the rear of the unit for attachment to existing plumbing.

Drawers and doors are provided in the front 17 of the unit for purposes which Will become apparent. The front extends forwardly of the base 18 to provide a recess to accommodate feet of people using the unit. The typical materials of Construction may be Wood with a steel top and steel bin dividers, all steel Construction, or Wood or metal Construction with a composition top.

A refuse container or waste basket 19 is disposed below the basin 14 and behind the door 21. Access to the open top of the waste basket is provided by the door 22 hinged to the front of the cabinet by means of the hinges 23 along the lower margir of the door 22. Thus by use of the handle 24, the upper margin of the door may be pulled outwardly to provide access for deposit of refuse in the basket 19. Also a hopper ettect is achieved whereby it is unnecessary to reach within the cabinet to deposit refuse. If desired, walls 26 may be mounted to the iframe immediately above the open top of the basket 19 to cooperate with `the door 22 ensuring that all material deposited through the door 22 enters the basket 19. In other words, the three sloped Walls 26 cooperate with the open door 22 to form a hopper above the basket 19.

A drawer 27 is disposed to the right of the basin 14 and has a plurality of parallel dividers 28 therein, the dividers being perpendicular to the front of the cabinet.

A plurality of horizontal shelves 30 may be disposed in the unit behind the doors 29.

A novel drawer 31 is provided in accordance With this invention. This drawer has left-hand and right-hand side walls 32 and 33, respectively, a rear wall 34 and a floor 36. However, the front wall of the drawer is composed of two parts. The lower front wall 37 is secured to the floor 36 and left-hand and right-hand side walls 32 and 33. A drawer pull 38 is secured to the front wall 37 Whereby the drawer may be pulled out in conventional manner.

The drawer 31 is provided with a plurality of parallel dviders 39 which extend parallel to the side walls 32 and 33. The dividers 39 are tapered downwardly toward the front, thus having an inclined upper margin 41 for a purpose which Will become apparent.

A metal guide plate 42 having a horizontal slot 43 therein is secured to the inside face of each of the side walls 32 and 33. An upper front wall 44 has a pin 46 in each end thereof received in the guide slot 43 which suspends the walls 44 in position immediately above the lower front wall 37 as shown. A recess 48 is provided in the front face of the wall 44 and is formed upwardly and rearwardly, leaving a depending portion 49. Thus, it is seen tha-t by placing the 'fingers in the recess 48 the portion 44 may be swung outwardly, as indicated by the arrow 51, pivoting on the pins 46 received in the slots 43. The portion44 may then be slid to the rear to the location designated by the dotted outline 44a wherein the pins 46 continue to support the member 44 at the rear of the slots 43. The portion adjacent the front of the Slots may be supported by bosses 52 secured to the side Walls 32 and 33 of the drawer.

It will be observed that the upper and lower members 44 and 37, respectively, of the front Wall of the drawer do meet when the upper portion is in the closed position, as shown in FIG. 3. Dust or other foreign matter is thereb-y excluded from the interior of the drawer. A stop 53 is secured to the wall portion 37 adjacent the upper margin thereof, serving to prevent the portion 44 from being pushed inwardly along the bottom margin thereof. Also, a magnetic or other suitable latch 54 may be moun-ted at this point.

It will be thus seen that tools or instruments can be stored in the drawer 31 and access thereto provided without pulling the drawer out. The sloping upper margin of the drawer dividers facilitates rcmoval of the contents of the various bins or compartments by way of the opening provided by the upper portion 44 when in the position designated by reference numeral 44a. If desired, to further facilitate removal of tools, instruments, or other contents of the drawer 31 a sloping floor 56 can be provided in certain of the compartments of the drawen From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention provides a sturdy and versatle unit well suited to the remodeling or re-equipping of buildings and rooms therein. The unit can be employed, for example, as a hematology collection unit or a beautician's utility unit. The unit may also find extensive use in medical or research laboratories for bacteriology, serology, parasitology, and chemistry. A typical set of dimensions for such purposes could be three feet high, four feet Wide, and one foot deep. A protective shield 57 can, of course, be provided if desired to protect walls adjacent which the unit may be located.

From the foregoing description, it can be readily appreciated that the present invention is well suited to the accomplshment of the objects of this invention stated hereinabove as well as other objects not specifically mentioned. It is recognized that other variations within the scope of the invention may now occur to one skilled in the art. Therefore, while the invention has been disclosed ,3 w and described in some detail in the drawings and foregoing description, they are to be considered as illnstrative and not restrictive in character, as modifications may readily srggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and' within* the broad scope 'of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims'.

The inven'tion claimed is: 1. A' convenience unit comprisng: a frame; a top'on said frame; a basinmounted'n an upper portion' of said fra'rne and opening in the top of said frame; a hopper meansunder said basin; a container under said hopper means to receive' refuse placedin said hopper means; said hopper means including a door on said frame swin'gabledownwardly; y a door on said frame adjacent said container and ac- 3,1e2,496 i r commodati'ng renoval of said container from said A frame;

a first drawer with a plurality of paralieI dividers, dispose'd' at one side of said basin; a a second drawer disposed below sa'id first drawer; said second drawer having left-hand, right-hand and rear Wall s of substanti'aliy equal height' and a plurality of v arallel dividrs therein providing compartments in i said drawer, and' said second drawer having a front wall divided horizonta lly into an upper and lower portion, said lower portion having a pull thereon and' sa'id lower portion being fixed' on the drawer, the uppe'r portion being pivotably Suspended from said left-hand and right-hand walls and rearwardly slideable on said drawer to provide access to saidcompartments without moving said second drawer in said frame, said second drawer having a floor sloping upwardly from the lower marginal portion of said rear wall to the uppermargin of said lower portion of said front Wall,` the upper portion of said front Wall having a lower marginal portion meeting the upper marginal portion of the lower portion of said front wall; and said upper portion of said front wall having a' recess adjacent the front margin thereof 4, and in front of said lower marginal portion thereof;

a shelf below said second drawer;

and a sliding door on said frame in front of said shelf.

2. In a convenience unit, a drawer comprising:

a bottom panel;

left-hand, right-hand and rear walls joining said bottom panel, said left-hand and right-hand walls having slotted guide plates thereon adjacent the upper frontal margins thereof the slots extending rearwardly;

a fixed front Wall of less er height than' said side and rear walls and` joining said bottom panel;

and a movable front wall having laterally extending pivot means received in said' Slots and pivot'ally suspending said movable front' Wall from said side Walls to acco'rnmodate V Upward pivoting and rearward sliding' of' said movable wall to provide access to the interier of said drawer Without moving` said drawer in' the unit', said movable front wall havinga lower marginal portion meeting an upper marginal portion of said fixed front wail to exclude foreign matter from the interior of said drawer.

3. In a convenience unit', a drawer as set forth in claim' 2, wherein a recess is provided in the said movable front wall adjacent the front margin thereof and in front of said lower marginal portion thereof to receive fingers to faciitate 'manual pivoting of said movable Wall for access to the interior of said drawer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS 599.753 Whittl Mar; 1, 1898 1,01`5,722 Bezold Jan. 23, 1912 1,067376 Rowlette .Tuly 15, 1913 1394 960 Bach'ar Oct. 25; 1921 2,170,677 Berg Aug. 22, 1939 2,653,851 Davidson Sept. 29, 1953 -2,790,694` Palmer Apr. 30, 1957 3,004,814 Schulze Oct. 17, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS '1,201 v Great Britain 1904 

1. A CONVENIENCE UNIT COMPRISING: A FRAME; A TOP ON SAID FRAME; A BASIN MOUNTED IN AN UPPER PORTION OF SAID FRAME AND OPENING IN THE TOP OF SAID FRAME; A HOPPER MEANS UNDER SAID BASIN; A CONTAINER UNDER SAID HOPPER MEANS TO RECEIVE REFUSE PLACED IN SAID HOPPER MEANS; SAID HOPPER MEANS INCLUDING A DOOR ON SAID FRAME SWINGABLE DOWNWARDLY; A DOOR ON SAID FRAME ADJACENT SAID CONTAINER AND ACCOMMODATING REMOVAL OF SAID CONTAINER FROM SAID FRAME; A FIRST DRAWER WITH A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL DIVIDERS, DISPOSED AT ONE SIDE OF SAID BASIN; A SECOND DRAWER DISPOSED BELOW SAID FIRST DRAWER, SAID SECOND DRAWER HAVING LEFT-HAND, RIGHT-HAND AND REAR WALLS OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL HEIGHT AND A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL DIVIDERS THEREIN PROVIDING COMPARTMENTS IN SAID DRAWER, AND SAID SECOND DRAWER HAVING A FRONT WALL DIVIDED HORIZONTALLY INTO AN UPPER AND LOWER PORTION, SAID LOWER PORTION HAVING A PULL THEREON AND SAID LOWER PORTION BEING FIXED ON THE DRAWER, THE UPPER PORTION BEING PIVOTABLY SUSPENDED FROM SAID LEFT-HAND AND RIGHT-HAND WALLS AND REARWARDLY SLIDEABLE ON SAID DRAWER TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO SAID COM- 